First England hooligan sent home

An England fan is flying home today after becoming the first known hooligan to be refused entry to South Korea in the drive against World Cup violence.

Andrew Cooper, 37, was detained after arriving on a flight to Seoul, the National Criminal Intelligence Service confirmed. An NCIS spokesman in London said that although the Derby County supporter had no banning order against him, he received a four-month prison sentence in 1999 for possessing CS gas.

Mr Cooper's criminal record was sent to the Japanese and South Korean authorities and he was advised against making the trip.

The NCIS spokesman said it showed that precautions taken by the UK authorities were working. "People without banning orders who think they can get in behind the backs of the authorities are finding out that they cannot," he said.

"British law enforcement is totally serious about making every effort to prevent known hooligans ruining the tournament for others." The spokesman added: "It is a lot of money to waste to be refused entry to countries a long way away."

Banning orders have been placed on more than 1,000 English followers convicted of football hooliganism.

The England team is in Korea ahead of the World Cup and has a warm-up game against South Korea tomorrow before moving to Japan where it plays three group games against Sweden, Argentina and Nigeria.

In a separate move to smooth relations between England fans and their nervous hosts, origami lessons are among the activities being planned in Japan ahead of the tournament which begins on 31 May. They are also being offered advice on local traditions so as not to offend their hosts.

"In Japan this is more relevant than ever because of some of the cultural differences," said Kevin Miles of England's Football Supporters' Association which is organising a soccer "embassy" to help fans find their way around the finals, jointly hosted with South Korea from 31 May.

The group is operating telephone helplines, handing out free "fanzines" with regional travel information ahead of each game and creating a virtual-soccer embassy on the internet. The point is to prevent England fans from offending their hosts, many of whom are expecting the worst.

Mr Miles said: "There are some things England fans will do which will come across as quite intimidating to the locals." He is particularly worried about boisterous behaviour, baring stomachs and showing off tattoos, which in Japan are associated with criminal gangs.

He added: "I wouldn't expect England fans to have their tattoos removed but we just want to prepare them for what the likely impact will be."

A small leaflet has been designed to advise supporters how to avoid cultural "red cards", arrest and imprisonment, as well as what to do in case of an earthquake.

For supporters with tickets to the England v Argentina game in Sapporo on 7 June, there will be alternative activities to drinking which could help to calm nerves in what may be the crunch match of the early group stage.

Mr Miles also wants to prepare the Japanese people for what lies ahead. "We want to bring to the host population a bit of an understanding about what they can expect from England football supporters," he said. "The Japanese population is fed on a diet of the same film footage from [the rioting at] Charleroi at Euro 2000."

Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup final, backed the project and said that when he was playing, fans would often approach the England team for advice on activities and directions.

Hurst said: "Particularly in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the fans wandered around without knowing what to do and where to go and they kept asking the players."

? Some 70,000 workers are threatening to down tools in South Korea during the World Cup. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said health and metal workers would carry out their threat unless the government stops its crackdown on striking power workers.